irodhaparihaara-questions 15 to18

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15. Ekasya upAdhibhEdhAth prathisanDHAna abhAvasya anangeekAre

rAmakrishNAdheenAm EkEsvara avathArarupathvam na yujyathe.

 

 

 

If it is not accepted that one soul is experiencing through different

bodies due to the difference of mind and intellect, the incarnations

like Rama and Krishna cannot be considered as the forms of Isvara.

 

 

 

This objection is raised on account of the words of Rama 'AthmAnam

mAnusham manyE rAmam dhasaraTHAthmajam , I consider myself as a human

being , Rama, the son of DhasaraTha,' when he had to be reminded of his

divinity. (Ram.6-120-11,13) Since Rama did not have the knowledge of his

Narayanasvarupa it seems as though the self in the incarnation is

different like all the individual selves.

 

 

 

But this is the argument of the ignorant, says Desika , since the

actions and words in the incarnations are nothing but play-acting of the

Lord.

 

 

 

svathanthrasyEsvarasyApi karmavasyathvanAtakam

 

thEna vanchayathE lokAnithyAdhyaih abhiDHeeyathE

 

 

 

The appearance of the result of karma in incarnations of the Lord who

is independent, is only a play by which He deceives the world into

thinking that He is human.

 

 

 

The reference is to the sloka in MahabhAratha,

 

 

 

thEna vanchayathE lOkAn mAyAyogEna kEsavah

 

yE thamEva prapadhyanthE na thE muhyanthi mAnavAh (Maha.uddhyoga.65-25)

 

 

 

where Sanjaya tells DhrtharAshtra about Krishna that he deceives the

world by his actions like driving the chariot for Arjuna etc. into

thinking that he is mortal but those who surrender to Him know His real

nature. Desika says that that the Isvara who is omniscient,omnipoent

and omnipresent cannot experience duhkha in His incarnations nor for the

sake of His devotees who are suffering.To say so is like the sentence

known as jaradgavAdhi.'sarvakarthA sarvajnah sarvashakthih eesvarah

svayamEva paraduhkham uthpAdhya thaddharsanEna svayamapi

paramakAruNikathayA sochathi ithi vachanam jaradhgavAdhivAkyvath

anavaDHEyamEva.'

 

 

 

The sentence referred to is as follows:

 

 

 

jaradhgavam kambalapAdhukAbhyAm

 

dvArisThithO gAyathi badhrakANi

 

tham brAhmaNee prcchathi puthrakAmA

 

rAjan rumAyAm lasunasya kOrgah

 

 

 

This makes no ense as it is a jumble of unconnected things mentioned

together. It means, old cow with blankets and foot wear, the one at the

gate sings good things and the brahmin woman who wishes for a son askes

him, oh king,in Ruma, what is the price of garlic.

 

 

 

This is mentioned to denote the inappropiateness of the Lord

experiencing duhkha in His incarnations.When He is said to grieve on

account of His mercy seeing the suffering of bhakthas, 'vyasanEshu

manushyANAm brsam bhavathi duhkhthah' it is to induce bhakthi out of His

pity for those who are caught in the wheel of samsara, which has a

semblance of grief.

 

 

 

 

 

16.Evam rAmakrishnAdheenAm karmavasyathva abhinayamAthra svekArE sathi

AvEsAvathArathayA pratheeyamAnAneshu api nirathisayaAnandhayOgE

parasurAmAdhishu sAkshAth avathAramEva vakthum sakyam.---anyaTHA thathra

prathishTArchnvachanamapi thathra na sanghatathE.

 

 

 

If it is said that all the actions in the incarnations which appear to

be due to karma are only play-acting on the partof the Lord why should

the AvEsa avathAras, where the manifestation of divinity was said to be

present for short time, be not considered as real incarnations and not

partial as otherwise the worship of these forms is not possible?

 

 

 

The AvEsAvathAras are proved by the sasthra, says Desika, as otherwise

all entities will have to be considered as incarnations.

 

 

 

bahupramANa siddhathvAth yuktham AvEsakalpanam

 

anyaTHA vibhavE sarvam Avishtasya sriyah pathEh

 

 

 

The AvEsAvathara has been mentioned as such in the texts such as

'srshtim thathah karishyAmi thvAm Avisya prajApathE, (after creating the

cosmos) I will enter in you and do the creation,oh, prajApathi

(vishnudharma.68-54) and 'anupravisya kuruthE yathsameehitham achyuthah,

the Lord enters into the jivas and do what He wants,'

(Vishnudharmam.108-50) If this is not accepted as such, all the entities

mentioned in the tenth chapter on vibhuthi yOga in Bhagavat gita will be

the incarnations of the Lord., because the Lord says "it is I" in all

those entities mentoned therein.

 

 

 

In prathardhanavidhya of the upanishad Indra tells Prathardhana to

meditate on him as Brahman. There it is the Lord who is the innerself is

meditated upon and not Indra.Similarly in the AvEsAvathAras the worship

etc. for the form is to the Lord who is the inner self and there is

nothing contrary to the concept of taking them as AvEsAvathAras.

 

 

 

17. ajnAna duhkhithva karmavasyathvAdhi yukthAnAm samsAriNAm jnAna

Anandha amalathvAdhikam nithysiddham ithi vachanam viruddham Eva.

 

 

 

While the misery due to karma caused by ignorance is real for the souls

in transmigration, to say that knowledge, purity and bliss is the

permanent nature of the self is inappropriate.

 

 

 

There is no contradiction here also, says Desika.

 

 

 

jnAnAnandhAmalathvAnAm svarupE samprdhAraNath

 

thadhanyavishyAjnAnaduhkhAdhyam kim na uchyathe

 

 

 

Knowledge,bliss and purity are always present in the jiva. the suffering

is due to different cause, namely ajnAna and hence it is not

self-contradicting.

 

The duhkha is only due to the connection of the soul with the body which

is the effect of karma and the sukha and duhkha do not adhere to the

self which is jnAnAnandha svarupa.

 

 

 

 

 

18. 'nirvANamaya EvAyam AthmAjnAnamayO amalah

 

duhkhaajnAnamayAdharmAh prakrhtEh na chAthmanah'

 

ithi vachnOdhitha svarupasya jeevasya duhkhAjnAnAdhikam anthahkaraNmEva

ArOpiththayA pratheeyathE na thu paramArTHa svarupam ithi vakthum

yuktham ithi. (Vishnu PuraNa.6-7-22)

 

 

 

VishnupurAna says that the self is free like the eternal souls having

bliss and knowledge as his essential nature and the duhkha and ignorance

is only the attributes of prakrthi and not of the self. Hence they

should be attributed to the mind and intellect and not to the self.So

how can they be said to be real, in the state of samsara?

 

 

 

Desika replies as

 

 

 

svabhAvAth sooritulyasya karmOpAdhivasAviha

 

duhkhithvam thannivrtthischa thadhupADHi nivrthithah

 

 

 

Even though the jiva is equal to the eternal selves by nature he

experiences duhkha due to the adjunct( of karma) and becomes free from

it when the adjunct is removed.

 

'

 

Just as the jasmin flower appears white and sometimes red due to the

association with the kimsuka flower, the jiva gets duhkha and ignorance

due to the contraction of dharambhuthajnAna, attributive consciousness,

caused by karma. When the karma is exhausted the natural knowledge and

bliss is regained like the eternal souls. The expression that the

duhkha and ajnAna belong to prakrthi means that it is due to the

connection with prakrthi.